Portobello Mushrooms: One Ingredient, Endless Possibilities

All about the versatile ‘vegetarian steak’

Lucija Lepšina

Editorial Assistant

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There aren't many main ingredients that work impeccably well for all styles of eating—from vegan to paleo or breakfast to dinner, whether as a starter, main or side dish. Thanks to a little inspiration from our community member Agus Eka we're introducing you to one of these rare food finds—portobello mushrooms—in all their versatile glory.

Are you ready for mushroom season? To demonstrate the portobello’s universality, Agus shared two ways of using it in one recipe. Gather Parmesan cheese, bread, eggs, garlic, and olive oil, and give it a go.

Why are portobello mushrooms a must-cook food?

Besides being packed with vitamins and minerals, which we could all do with and extra boost of as the weather starts to cool, there are plenty of ways to cook with portobello mushrooms—from meatless to vegan.

The large mushroom's texture is downright meaty, hence its reputation as the “vegetarian steak”. Given their large size, juiciness and al-dente texture, they’re perfect for baking, stuffing, roasting, frying or even barbecuing. We love whole, baked Portobello mushrooms in a burger with mozzarella and pesto as a delicious meatless alternative.

Why do we love the recipe?

As well as the inventive use of a single ingredient two-ways, it is also a breeze to prepare. All you need is a few staple ingredients, which are most likely already your fridge and pantry, and 30 minutes of your time.

Set up your oven and whip out a frying pan, since you'll be making both a stuffed oven-baked mushroom along with a scrambled-on-the-toast version. Why play it safe when you can make them simultaneously? Pair either with your morning coffee or evening glass of wine.

Some tips and tricks to tweak the recipe

In the original recipe, Agus uses Parmesan cheese to stuff the Portobello mushrooms. However, don’t hesitate to use whichever well-melting cheese you prefer: Cheddar, goat cheese, blue cheese or mozzarella cheese are also a great fit.

For a vegan variation, replace the stuffing with vegan cheese or even your favorite selection of vegetables and sprinkle it with nutritional yeast to give it a cheesy flavor. For the other half of the dish, replace eggs with scrambled well-seasoned tofu and you are good to go.

Wanna make it more rustic? Serve the egg-mushroom scramble on a rye or sourdough bread.

The most important thing here is to be inspired by the potential of a single ingredient, like the portobello mushroom. Add them to a vegetable stir-fry, grill them as a steak, treat yourself with mini portobello pizzas or bruschetta, bread them and prepare them as chips or fries, put them in pastas and lasagnas...you can hardly go wrong.

Have you got more comforting recipes up your sleeve? Why not share them with the Kitchen Stories team and our hungry community! Simply send your recipe to community@kitchenstories.com.